Opinions Editor
There are well over 50 student clubs on the Springfield College campus. Each of these clubs has its own budget, which is used for events, fundraising and travel. This money is paid by a combination of the Student Government Association and a student activities fee that every student pays. But clubs are not merely handed a check. March is allocation month.
Vice President of Business Affairs Mike Rama will be spending three days at the end of March meeting with every single club on campus to converse with and approve a budget. The clubs will meet with Rama and his Business Affairs committee.
“Each club will most likely be given 20 minutes,” said Rama. “And the committee will range from [listening to] 15 to 20 presentations a day.”
The committee meets with each club in order to determine the monetary needs for the upcoming year.
“Allocations is a process that all clubs must go through in order to receive funding for the upcoming year,” said Rama. “Each club will be given time to present their plans for next year, giving a detailed description of each event/program that their club will be participating in. In addition, each club will tell the Business Affairs Committee how much money they believe they should receive for each event and as a whole.”
This busy schedule means an extremely stressful three days for the Business Affairs Committee. But this is an opportunity for the students who make up the committee to get real world experience. The allocations are real money; this is not just a classroom exercise. It is stressful not only because of the time involved but because of the real funds being budgeted.
“Not going to lie, it’s going to be quite a ride,” said Rama. “However, it’ll be a great experience to learn from and plus, I have an amazing committee ,which makes it easier.”
The Business Affairs Committee is made up of representatives from every class and a graduate student. Although Rama is a business major, the committee is not limited to students in the major, and the committee represents a cross section of Springfield College undergraduates. Regardless of the majors of the members, the allocation process is an opportunity for the members of the committee to get involved on campus and learn how to deal with budgets and organizations.
The Student Government is also holding elections in March and are trying to encourage all students to go online to vote or run for a position. There is a need for a new SGA President next year as well as student senators and officers.
Josh Ernst may be reached at jernst@springfieldcollege.edu